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18/19 July, 1944; REVIGNY:
Crews, exhausted from their pre-dawn exploits were roused from
their beds to be told they were 'on' again that night. Two railway
targets at Aulnoye and Revigny in France had been selected for
attack by 253 Lancasters and 10 Mosquitoes of 1,3,5 and 8 Groups.
P/O Burns RCAF (JB701) and crew were the first away from Fiskerton
at 22.38hrs, ahead of 14 other Lancasters from the squadron all
bound for the rail junction at Revigny. F/O Pederson (ND512)
and crew were coned by searchlights just after crossing the enemy
coast; the pilot managed to evade the searchlights by corkscrewing
his aircraft for 3 minutes. Both targets were hit, severing the
rail lines to the battle front, although several bomb aimers
reported confusion caused by fires burning near the Red Spot,
believed to be aircraft which had been shot down.
On their return leg, a Lancaster flown by F/O Deacon received
flak damage and a prowling night fighter was attracted to the
damaged bomber and came in to finish them off. Six crew members,
including the skipper F/O Roy Deacon RCAF, managed to escape
from Q-Queenie safely, but sadly P/O Albert Rammage RCAF, did
not survive and is buried in Vassimont-et-Chapelaine Churchyard,
Marne.
With the assistance of the French five members of the crew evaded
capture; Sgt John Diley, F/Sgt Allan Harpell RCAF and Sgt Harold
Sharp returned to England on 3 September 1944 followed by Sgt
Don Wilson RCAF the next day. Sgt Bill Fortune also returned
during early September. Their pilot, F/O Deacon escaped by parachute,
but on landing broke his leg after hitting a tree. The French
tried to help him but eventually had to hand him over to the
German authorities. He was taken to the Military Hospital at
Chalons-sur-Marne and then later transferred to the hospital
attached to the PoW camp. At the end of August, the town was
liberated by the advancing Americans. 'Walking' out of the camp,
Roy Deacon was handed over by the Americans to the Red Cross.
On Saturday 2 September he arrived at Horsham St Faith near Norwich
in a B-24 Liberator.
Lancaster JB473 (EA-W)
F/O R.M. Deacon RCAF Pilot
(P.o.W.)
Sgt H. Sharp F/E
(Evaded)
Sgt W. Fortune
NAV (Evaded)
Sgt J.A. Diley W/OP (Evaded)
Sgt D. Wilson RCAF A/G (Evaded)
Sgt A.R. Harpell
RCAF B/A (Evaded)
P/O
A.J. Rammage RCAF A/G (Killed)
Crew on their 13th operation
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